It is well known that the application of unheated, room temperature shampoos, rinses, conditioners, shaving cream, and the like to a person's scalp or face can produce a very uncomfortable and unpleasant feeling. This gives rise to frequent complaints in beauty salons, barbershops, and other establishments where the customer's comfort and consequent satisfaction is of paramount importance.
Unpleasant sensations can be avoided and comfort assured by warming the shampoo or other formulation in its container before applying it to the customer's scalp or face.
Also, there are preparations which tend to congeal, crystallize or precipitate, agglomerate, or become viscous at room temperature. This makes it difficult to pour or otherwise expel the contents of the container. Again, this is a problem which can be readily solved by employing a heater utilizing the principles of the present invention to warm the preparation at the time and point of use.
A number of patents disclose heaters for bottles and similar containers, and some of them even disclose heaters for hair care products. The patents of which I am aware are U.S. Pat No. 2,090,666 issued Aug. 24, 1937 to Copeland for HEATER FOR SCALP SOLUTIONS; U.S. Pat. No. 2,292,992 issued Aug. 11, 1942 to Crouch for HEATING DEVICE; U.S. Pat. No. 2,413,176 issued Dec. 24, 1946 to Deaton for MILK BOTTLE HEATER; U.S. Pat. No. 2,713,112 issued Jul. 12, 1955 to Mills et al. for BOTTLE OR CONTAINER WARMER; U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,904 issued Oct. 24, 1961 to Thompson for COMBINATION SALT DRIER AND NIGHT LIGHT; U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,699 issued Jun. 23 1964 to Taylor for HEATING APPLICANCES; U.S. No. 3,152,245 issued Oct. 6, 1964 to Litman for INFRARED NURSING BOTTLE HEATER; U.S. Pat. No. 3,456,679 issued Jul. 22, 1969 to Woods for PACKAGED FOOD DISPLAY AND HEATING DEVICE; U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,513 issued Aug. 5, 1978 to Ashford for SHAMPOO CONDITIONER WARMER; U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,834 issued Oct. 10, 1978 to Losch for ELECTRIC RADIANT HEAT FOOD WARMER AND ORGANIZER; U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,843 issued Aug. 5, 1980 to Gay et al. for TOY MOLDING APPARATUS AND MATERIAL FOR USE THEREWITH; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,992 issued Jun. 16, 1981 to Thomas for ELECTRIC HEATING APPARATUS FOR HEAT-TREATING PHARMACEUTICALS.
Heating devices as disclosed in the foregoing patents tend to have a number of drawbacks and disadvantages. One is that they are unsafe to use, particularly in beauty salon and other operations where the user may have wet hands and therefore be particularly susceptible to injury if subjected to electrical shock. Also, the prior art heating devices tend to be very difficult to clean to the level required by local regulations applicable to beauty salons and comparable establishments. Efficient distribution of heat to the product being warmed and lack of easy access to the heating element are still other disadvantages of these prior art heating devices.